The Electric Car Battery - Sustainability in the Supply Chain

This report aims to provide an initial overview of the supply chain of electric car batteries, and to answer the following research question: What effect does the growing demand for electric vehicles have on the social and environmental conditions throughout the electric car battery supply chain? The report combines various methodologies to be able to create an overall picture of the electric car battery supply chain, and is targeted towards companies, policy makers and the general public interested in the electric car. It is argued that the supply chain of the electric car battery is faced with serious sustainability challenges. The expected profits from lithium, one of the basic materials for the electric car battery, already create social tensions in Bolivia, while workers rights are violated at battery manufacturing plants in China. These issues need to be taken into account when companies and politicians discuss the costs and benefits of the electric car.